Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-08-25


to do, and have money to spend. There
is no great amount of drinking; the fair
Is held In the great market-place, and
Is of an eminently decorous style. Two
or three travelling theatres, in which
Shakespeare's plays are periormedwith-
out the assistance of the letter III"
and thrilling tragedies, in which most
of the characters come to sudden
and terrible end; virtue always
triumphs In the travelling theatre, and
vice, after many struggles Is always
defeated. The usual giant and dwarf,
the spotted boy, the stout lady, "a few
peep-shows and a waX-work exhibition
| from the bill of fare OF the entertain
ment offered to the frequentors of the
fair.
There was dancing on the green,
that relic of ancient days and ancient
gayeties; the same green where in times
past the moorish-dancers had frolicked,
the chimney-sweep had danced, and the
May-po.e had stood. Very few towns in
England have retained tire old-fashi0n
ed green but Claver,ng is proud of it.
The young people dance there at the
| fair-time; the green Is a rendezvous for
lovers, and to be seen dancing there
| together is almost betrothal.
From time immemorial it has been
the custom for most of the servants in
the Castle to go to the fair; it was the
one great holiday of the year, looked
forward to with the utmost delight.
No one in the country thought more Of
the fair than Jennie Deane.
She had never been TO fair, and
longed to enjoy the pleasures of one.
Mrs. Hilton, the housekeeper, told her
that she ought to be more ..dignifed,
that the upper class servants never
went to the fair; but Jennie laughed at
the notion of dignity when there was
prospect of a dance on the green.
Jennie had bewitching dress of
pale-blue cashmere, which suited her
blond prettiness to admiration; she had
a new hat with broad brim, which
softened the pretty arch face. 1t was
not likely that she would let such a
thing as dignity interfere with such
| pleasures. The farmers wives and
daughters danced, why shSAld not she?
Then there was the unutterable de-
| light of having two lovers, and those
two lovers the finest young men in The
neighborhood.
All the girls adj mired Michael Hands,
and Charlie Nesbitt, the attractive
stranger, would be much sought after;
but Jennie knew they would only have
eyes for her.
She bad received two fairings already
"a bunch of blue ribbons from Michael
and she laughed as she remembered
the old lines
'He prom sed to buy me bunch of blue rib
| bons.
To tie up my bonnie brown hair
/
Jennie's great point was her hair
silky brown, soft and abundant, with a
natural ripple in it, for which many a
fine lady would have given fortune;
it was the admiration of every one who
saw 1t.
Charles Nesbitt sent her fairing-a
fairing that long afterward she found
out had purpose in it. 1t was of a
much more ambitious kind than
Michael's-a breach of pure gold with
fine pearl in it, and Jennie was de-
lighted with it. If she had known the
purpose with which it was sent, and
the object for which it was intended,
she would have trampled the pretty
brooch under her heel; but she did not,
and showed it with an air Of triumph
to her fellow servants. OF course she
had received letter from Michael beg
ging her to dance with HIM, and letter
from Charles Nesbtt asking her the
same favor.
"rhey must take it in turns" said
Jennie, with toss of her pretty head,
land if they quarrel about it, | will not
dance with either"
She wore the blue ribbon, and she
wore the brooch. Any man might be
forgiven for loosing his heart to Jennie
that fair-day, she looked SO bewitching
She had the bloom of rose on her face:
her eyes were as bright and shining as
two stars, when she smiled she showed
pretty white teeth. Indeed, Jennie
Dane looked like a sweet English rose
bud. Michel was waiting for her or
the green, and Charlie met her on the
high-road; but Jennie was equal to the
occasion. She held them well in hanC
she managed them as adroitly as any
fine lady could have done.
"Thank you for wearing my ribbon
Jennie" said honest Michael. "You
, have made me very happy"
"You are easily pleased, Michael,
said saucy Jennie.
"You have honored me by accepting
my little Offering" said the fine London
lover. II was almost afraid"
sit is very pretty brooch" said
Jennie graciously.
She would not notice how the two
men frowned at each other; she h ad
made up her mind on this fair-day to be
quite impartial. They were both in
love with her, they had both made heI
an offer of marriage; she had accepted
the one whom she thought the fines
gentleman, but for all that she was not
willing to give up Michael entirely
He looked so handsome, so honest, 8,
picturesque. When they stood side by
side and she could compare them, sh,
saw that Charlie Nesbitt was much in
, ferior to him; loyal honest soul looked
, out of Michael's eyes. Mr.. Nesbitt
seldom looked any one IN the face, and
when he did SO his expression was one
of cunning.
: 1t was the first time that Jennie haC
spent SO much time with him; usual,
their interviews had been of short dura.
, ton. Now that she was with him for
, longer time, she was just the least il
: the world disenchanted. She haC
thought him such perfect gentleman
and now she found that he was by n,
T means perfect. He battered her; h,
never tired of paying her compliments
, he told her that he travelled much, n,
had been in London, Paris, and Berlin
: but that she was the prettiest girl h,
, had seen in any country. Jennie wal
delighted. He talked of the time wheI
they should be married.
: fro BE CONTINUED
. A Strange Bird In Kershaw.
, One day last week while Mr.. +. B